TOCO CASES
MEKKAH (MECCA) & PROFIT
Mekka is known for the Islamic pilgrimage (Hadj) that every Muslim is supposed to make once in his or
her life if they can afford it financially and/or physically. The large numbers of visitors to the holy city are
both lucrative but also problematic. Think about the economic dependency and other economic impacts
because of tourism. Please, do not forget to pay attention to the socio-cultural and political context of
Saudi Arabia
It is strictly forbidden for Non-Muslims to enter the city and this is strongly enforced
As usual in Saudi Arabia, women must travel together with a male guardian (Mahram), unless they
are over 45, travelling with a group and have their guardian's signed consent.
Despite strict crowd control measures, overcrowding and stampedes are major hazards during the
month of the Hajj, killing many people. Mina, Jamrat and the bridges leading to them are known to
be particularly dangerous, although steps have been taken to alleviate this: there are now four
parallel bridges and the route is now unidirectional.
During the Hajj season in Mecca, there is inordinate traffic congestion. Other issues in tourism are
fire incidents that happened in previous years.
Additional access ways, footbridges, and emergency exits were built, and concrete walls were
designed to replace the three cylindrical pillars allowing more pilgrims to have a simultaneous access
to them without fighting for position and deprived of crowd. A multi-million-dollar project has been
designed and put into action by the government to expand the bridge to five levels.
The latest efforts to improve the pilgrimage experience is the al-Mashaaer al-Mugaddassah metro,
which will carry people between Muzdalifah, Mina and Mount Arafat, important locations for
pilgrimage rituals. At its peak it will transport 72,000 passengers and go some way to relieving the
interminable congestion and frayed nerves experienced every year.
Mountains have been razed to make way for towers– a pile 'em high and sell 'em high approach to
hospitality – and homes demolished.
The mountains of Mecca – Omar, Kaabah, Khandama – will no longer exist. The Shamiya district has
all but disappeared
"There used to be small houses, they were old-fashioned
Shabbier hotels and dwellings are gone, replaced by narrow towers, features that are fast becoming the
norm in Mecca. "We try to maximise our service to accommodate the number of pilgrims who come
here, a mixture of modern and traditional. I feel sad that people have lost their homes. They get
, compensation and new homes – at times I am sorry,, but then I think of the pilgrims who have struggled
to find somewhere nice to sleep. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice."
The annual occasion has become a lucrative business in recent years, proving a great financial asset to
the economy of the oil-rich kingdom Worthwhile investment
The private sector also maximises its returns during Hajj, with investment in real estate an attractive
proposition ahead of the pilgrimage.
The highest rents in Saudi Arabia are found in the holy city of Mecca, the birthplace of Islam.
Owners of hotels close to the main mosque ask for $700 a night, blaming the skyrocketing prices of land
for the sharp rise in rates.
"I have been investing in this sector for 35 years. I remember when I first sold a metre of land in Mecca
for just 15 rials ($3), now it has reached 80,000 rials ($22,000)," said Mohamed Saed al-Jahni, one of
Mecca's real estate tycoons.
"The demand is higher than supply and that is why many buildings and hotels have been built in recent
years to accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims".
Super-tall buildings are filling the Mecca skyline at an unstoppable pace.
The ancient city's centuries-old sites are giving way to glitzy luxury hotels, which are not affordable for
many pilgrims.
The government says it is a necessary step, even if the construction comes at the expense of historical
mountains dating back to the age of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad and his companions.
MEKKAH (MECCA) & PROFIT
Mekka is known for the Islamic pilgrimage (Hadj) that every Muslim is supposed to make once in his or
her life if they can afford it financially and/or physically. The large numbers of visitors to the holy city are
both lucrative but also problematic. Think about the economic dependency and other economic impacts
because of tourism. Please, do not forget to pay attention to the socio-cultural and political context of
Saudi Arabia
It is strictly forbidden for Non-Muslims to enter the city and this is strongly enforced
As usual in Saudi Arabia, women must travel together with a male guardian (Mahram), unless they
are over 45, travelling with a group and have their guardian's signed consent.
Despite strict crowd control measures, overcrowding and stampedes are major hazards during the
month of the Hajj, killing many people. Mina, Jamrat and the bridges leading to them are known to
be particularly dangerous, although steps have been taken to alleviate this: there are now four
parallel bridges and the route is now unidirectional.
During the Hajj season in Mecca, there is inordinate traffic congestion. Other issues in tourism are
fire incidents that happened in previous years.
Additional access ways, footbridges, and emergency exits were built, and concrete walls were
designed to replace the three cylindrical pillars allowing more pilgrims to have a simultaneous access
to them without fighting for position and deprived of crowd. A multi-million-dollar project has been
designed and put into action by the government to expand the bridge to five levels.
The latest efforts to improve the pilgrimage experience is the al-Mashaaer al-Mugaddassah metro,
which will carry people between Muzdalifah, Mina and Mount Arafat, important locations for
pilgrimage rituals. At its peak it will transport 72,000 passengers and go some way to relieving the
interminable congestion and frayed nerves experienced every year.
Mountains have been razed to make way for towers– a pile 'em high and sell 'em high approach to
hospitality – and homes demolished.
The mountains of Mecca – Omar, Kaabah, Khandama – will no longer exist. The Shamiya district has
all but disappeared
"There used to be small houses, they were old-fashioned
Shabbier hotels and dwellings are gone, replaced by narrow towers, features that are fast becoming the
norm in Mecca. "We try to maximise our service to accommodate the number of pilgrims who come
here, a mixture of modern and traditional. I feel sad that people have lost their homes. They get
, compensation and new homes – at times I am sorry,, but then I think of the pilgrims who have struggled
to find somewhere nice to sleep. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice."
The annual occasion has become a lucrative business in recent years, proving a great financial asset to
the economy of the oil-rich kingdom Worthwhile investment
The private sector also maximises its returns during Hajj, with investment in real estate an attractive
proposition ahead of the pilgrimage.
The highest rents in Saudi Arabia are found in the holy city of Mecca, the birthplace of Islam.
Owners of hotels close to the main mosque ask for $700 a night, blaming the skyrocketing prices of land
for the sharp rise in rates.
"I have been investing in this sector for 35 years. I remember when I first sold a metre of land in Mecca
for just 15 rials ($3), now it has reached 80,000 rials ($22,000)," said Mohamed Saed al-Jahni, one of
Mecca's real estate tycoons.
"The demand is higher than supply and that is why many buildings and hotels have been built in recent
years to accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims".
Super-tall buildings are filling the Mecca skyline at an unstoppable pace.
The ancient city's centuries-old sites are giving way to glitzy luxury hotels, which are not affordable for
many pilgrims.
The government says it is a necessary step, even if the construction comes at the expense of historical
mountains dating back to the age of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad and his companions.
